- Congress decides to sing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram as per 1937 resolution
- BJP accuses Congress of insulting the national song and questions its loyalty to India
- Congress says BJP politicises emotional issues like the National Song and National Anthem
The Congress has come under fire over its decision to stick to only the first two stanzas of National Song Vande Mataram despite the government's push to sing the full version at official events in the country.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) today decided to follow its 1937 resolution that only the first two stanzas will be sung at party events.
The BJP, which had earlier accused the Congress of insulting the national song, hit out at the opposition party and said it has become a "new Muslim League". The decision raises questions on the Congress's "patriotism and loyalty" to the country, said the BJP's national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi.
"This decision has completely shattered the Congress claim of being the sole copyright holder of the freedom struggle," he said, adding that Congress has proved that it considers the party above the Constitution, Parliament and the country.
Read: Congress Chief Present, Vande Mataram Not Sung In Full At Goa Event Amid Row
He further said that the Congress decision on Vande Mataram reflects the same stubbornness that the Muslim League had in 1931 when it opposed singing the full version.
Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal accused the BJP of doing politics over the National Song and the National Anthem, adding that these are emotional issues for the Congress.
The Congress leader said its stand on Vande Mataram is in line with the top leadership's decision in 1937. Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose and Sardar Patel were present at that time, Venugopal said.
The government had in February made it compulsory to sing the full Vande Mataram at public gatherings and official events and passed a Bill in Parliament to make it a criminal offence to disrupt or prevent the singing of the National Song.
Read: "Book Mahatma Gandhi Too": Congress Chief On Complaint Over Vande Mataram Row
The row over Vande Mataram erupted again recently after Sonia Gandhi, former Congress chief, was seen making gestures when the full National Song was being sung at the party headquarters on Independence Day. The BJP claimed that she was objecting to the full version being sung, but the Congress denied it.
Venugopal today called the BJP claim a distraction tactic. "This is the version of the BJP to distract from national issues of paper leak and 'chanda chori'," he said.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had also drawn criticism for singing the "incomplete" Vande Mataram version at a Goa event on Monday. The BJP called it disrespectful to the National Song.
Hitting back, Kharge had said he had sung the version earlier sung by Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. If singing this version was a crime, cases should be filed against these leaders too, he told reporters yesterday.
